


Two of the Hill

by ladyelfriede



Category: Wiedźmin | The Witcher (Video Game), Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types, Wiedźmin | The Witcher Series - Andrzej Sapkowski
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 16:20:53
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,634
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16267886
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyelfriede/pseuds/ladyelfriede
Summary: Despite the years that have passed, Triss finds it hard to let go of the memories of Sodden Hill that haunt her. And even though Philippa is incredibly talented at being an asshole, maybe just this once, her bluntness is exactly what Triss needs.





	Two of the Hill

**Author's Note:**

> This fic has been in my archives for over two years so I'm finally posting it to make up for the lack of fics recently whoops!

Beauty was one of a sorceress’ many virtues. Perhaps not the most important, but it was definitely something that was regarded highly by many. It was normal for young women who became sorceresses to alter their appearance; some were even forced to do so against their will. Magic could change or heal almost all physical shortcomings. Almost, Triss thought to herself as she looked at the mirror in front of her. Her white button shirt open, she stared at her chest and stomach with loathing. She turned her eyes from the mirror, but knew it was merely a temporary solution. The battle of Sodden Hill was one scar she would never be able to erase, not from her mind nor from her skin. The healers and other sorcerers had done their best to patch her back up, but their magic had reached its limits when it came to the scars. She remembered how some of her friends were hardly recognizable, chunks of their bodies and face missing. She remembered Yennefer holding her hair back as she emptied her stomach in the stinking, soaking mud. Her name was on the memorial honouring those who had given their lives to defend the village, yet Triss still lived. She wasn’t surprised at the mix-up that had occurred. There had been more than one witch with red hair and many of the corpses had not been easy to identify. Either it was that, or someone had witnessed her death. She would’ve been dead, engulfed in that raging sea of flames if not for…

Triss flinched lightly as she heard the chamber’s bed creak. Her companion lifted her head from under the blankets, groaning lightly in annoyance.

“What are you doing? Come back to bed.”

The figure sat up straight, the sheets no longer covering the woman’s bare chest. She moved her long, wild black hair over one shoulder, using her slim fingers to adjust the knot of the blindfold she was wearing.

“Philippa.”  
“Out with it Triss, I don’t have all night.”  
“What are you talking about?”  
“There’s something on your mind, clearly. I don’t need eyes to see that.”

With a heavy sigh Triss made her way to the bed, climbing onto it from the front so she would directly face her companion. Philippa’s hand moved up, tracing delicate lines over the scars on Triss’ collarbones.

“Did you have a nightmare?”  
“No, I was just…thinking, that’s all.”  
“About Sodden Hill?”  
“About many things, but Sodden Hill was one of them. Most of those thoughts were about you, though.”

Philippa lifted an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips.

“Flattery is always a welcome distraction, but not one I’m going to fall for this time.”

Triss turned her head away as she felt the tears welling up in her eyes. She disliked crying in front of Philippa. The leader of the Lodge was tough as nails and Triss could not recall a single occasion on where she had seen Philippa shed a tear. Nowadays, she wasn’t able to cry anymore anyway. That too, had been her fault. She bit her lip hard in an attempt not to fall apart, the taste of iron on her tongue. A breath escaped Triss as Philippa’s soft fingers took her chin and moved her head to face her. The light behind the blindfold flickered softly, yet it seemed less bright than usual.

“Triss, look at me.”  
“I can’t, not with…not like this. How can you even look at me?”  
“In all fair honesty I can’t see shit right now, it’s too dark for this magic to function at full capacity.”  
“It’s my fault you’re blind.”  
“Don’t be ridiculous. I made a mistake, I underestimated Radovid and had to bear the consequences.”  
“I ratted you out in order to save Geralt.”  
“I did tell you to stop thinking with your vagina. We all make mistakes, Triss.”  
“You’re being way too light-hearted about this.”  
“Nonsense. There’s no sense of dwelling on about the past, not when we have this. We’re in Kovir, far away from Redania and everything we once had to fear.”  
“You don’t understand!”

Philippa fell silent as Triss took the older woman’s hand and moved it away from her chin. Her grip on Philippa’s hand tightened, the trimmed nails digging into the palm of Triss’ hand.

“Triss, if you’re not going to tell me what’s bothering you, we could sit here all night and mope, eventually have make-up sex and not solve the problem. While that sounds very tempting, I’d prefer if you could tell me the truth.”  
“You saved me. Back then, in Sodden Hill. I was burning, dying. I didn’t even know it was you at first; all I saw was black hair and bloodied arms. You rescued me from that inferno, risking your own life in the process. I thought it couldn’t be you at first, why would Philippa Eilhart risk her life for that of another?”  
“That’s what’s bothering you? Me performing a perfectly civil duty towards my colleagues?”  
“Don’t you lie to me, Philippa.”  
“My god Triss, what do you expect me to say? Do you want to me to play the sentimental girlfriend? Tell you how much I love you and that I did it because I couldn’t bear the thought of living without you? Lie to you about how many hidden feelings I had for you at the time?”  
“Stop mocking me. I know I shouldn’t have told you; do you even genuinely care about me or my wellbeing? Or am I just another one of your toys that you can use and discard when it stops being fun? Or are you so afraid of feelings and showing them in a healthy manner that you feel like you should always act like a hardass, even when it’s just the two of us?”

Triss immediately noticed she had struck a nerve as Philippa tore away her hand from Triss’ crushing grip. Triss could feel the pain well up in her chest and the tears finally fell. Of course she had been too optimistic, Philippa was utterly incapable of showing any sort of emotion besides spite, envy and lust. She used the cuffs of her shirt to wipe away her tears, when Philippa’s hand suddenly grabbed her arm and pulled her closer to the lady owl’s face. Triss could hardly believe the incredibly pained expression on Philippa’s face, and she was sure that if Philippa had still been able to cry, she would have spilled her tears right at this exact moment.

“They burned her, Triss. They took her away from me and burned her. She was the only one that loved me, the only one that took care of me. She hid me away before they took her, I was too young to understand about what had happened, but all I remember is smoke, fire and the smell of burning flesh.”  
“Philippa…”  
“I was helpless then, Triss. I wasn’t going to be helpless again when I saw you dying, unable to control the fire around you that those swines had cast on you. I couldn’t let it happen when I heard you cry for help, even if it meant my own life. I doubt she is proud of what I have become, but that is my burden to bear. I figured that at that moment, when I was already close to death, I wanted to attempt one last thing that resembled being a decent person.”

Philippa released Triss’ arm from her grip, lying back against the pillows once again while ignoring Triss’ piercing gaze.

“There you have it. Do with that information whatever you wish, except tell anything that lives and breathes about it.”

Triss moved her hand down to Philippa’s chest, placing her hand where the sorceress’ heart was beating rapidly in her chest. The older woman’s body was trembling, her heart racing and her breath heaving. Triss could not help but shed new tears at the vulnerability of the woman underneath her. She bent down to meet Philippa’s lips and kissed her chastely. One of her tears fell onto Philippa’s face and rolled down her cheek. A soft sigh escaped Philippa as she wrapped her arms around Triss’ shoulders, pressing the redhead’s face into the crook of her neck. Triss inhaled gently, the smell of cinnamon apparent on Philippa’s skin.

“You’re going to have to cry for the both of us now, Triss.”  
“You’re such an asshole”, Triss murmured into Philippa’s neck.  
“Tell me something I don’t know, dear.”

They lay in silence for a few minutes, Philippa’s fingers running gently through Triss’ auburn red locks.

“They’re becoming less painful to look at, you know.”  
“The scars?”  
“Yes. They no longer remind me of that flaming hell. All I see now is you.”  
“Triss…”

Triss felt her eyes grow heavy with sleep and she placed her head on Philippa’s shoulder, wrapping one arm around the other woman’s waist. She knew Philippa wasn’t exactly the cuddliest person she had shared a bed with, but she wanted to make use of the opportunity now that the lady owl seemed more vulnerable than usual. She hid a smile as Philippa’s arm pulled her closer.

“Are you using me as your personal body pillow now?”  
“Oh stop complaining, you’re the one who keeps using my blindfold as a nightlight.”  
“Just go to sleep, grumpy.”  
“Don’t blame me if your hair spontaneously catches fire.”  
“I love you too, darling”, Triss yawned before sleep overtook her. They’d continue this tomorrow, but Triss knew that there was hope for the woman still. Even if she was the most stubborn oaf she ever encountered, Triss still loved her. And one day, she hoped Philippa would be able to tell her that maybe, she loved her too.


End file.
